Stylophone.



No. 687,434. Patented Nov. 26, mm.

F. ravens.- STYLOPHONE.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.\

(No Model.) 4 Sheets- 8mm I.

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No. 687,434. Patented my; 26, l90l.

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STYLOPHONE. (Application filed 13m. 26, 1901.)

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(No Model.)

Patented Nov. 26, ism. 'F. MYERS.

STYL OPHONE.

(Application filed Jan. 25, 1901.]

(No Model.)

No. 687,434. Patented Nov. 26, I901.

F. MYERS.-

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(Application filed Jan. 25, p901.

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lmllllllllllllllllllllflpmllllllllllllll| I '{llll llllllfllllllll Ill 0 III will" llllll u UNITED STATES FREDERICK MYERS,

PATENT @FFICEQ OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

STYLOPHON E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 687,434, dated November 26, 1901. Application filed January 25, 1901. Serial No. 44,708. (No model.)

To all whom it 71mg concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK MYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stylophones; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the samel My present invention relates to that class of sound-reproducing instruments known as stylophones, and the object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for giving the required vibratory movements to the record-disk to hold said record up to a stationary stylus. It has been proposed to mount the record-disks upon a yielding central support and to revolve the disk in contact with a stationary stylus. Another means for accomplishing a similar result is disclosed in Patent No. 663,194, granted me December 4, 1900; but in this patent the record-disk is made of a yielding or resilient material and a rigid central pin is used.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide means whereby either a resilient or a non-resilient record-disk may be used and to provide a simplified construction for holdingv the record in constant contact with a stationary stylus.

Another object is to provide a simple and efficient means for holding the record centrally and firmly in place on the face-plate at the upper end of the revolving shaft,

Still another object is to furnish means for adjusting the record-disk to a horizontal position with relation to the sound-box or stylus and also to provide means for rendering the motor practically noiseless in operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure lis a front elevation of a machine embodying mypresent invention. Fig. 2 is a detail and partial section of the record-shaft and means for holding the record in place and revolving it. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of a portion of the table or support for the instrument and showing the adjustable plate for adjusting the record to a posit-ion normal to the stylus. Fig. 4. is a plan view of the record-disk. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the face-plate or record-sup port. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan View of the spring which serves to firmly hold the record in place. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of a modified form of presser-roller for holding the record in contact with the stylus. Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation of the motor, illustrating certain means for rendering the operation of the motor substantially noiseless. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the same.

Like characters of reference designate like parts wherever they occur in the different views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates the table upon which the instrument is properly mounted, and 2 is a spring-motor comprisinga train of gearing designed to revolve the feed-screw shaft 3. tudinalgroove 4, and a feed-screw 5 is secured to said shaft 3 in any suit-able manner. A miter-gear 6 is pinned to the shaft 3 by means of a set-screw 7, which passes through the hub of said miter-gear and extends into the groove l in the shaft 3. The nut 8 may be of the usual form and may be secured toapivoted arm of the usual construction for throwing it into and out of engagement with the feed-screw 5. The miter-gear 9 is always in mesh with the miter ti and is secured to a spindle 10, extending vertically from a sleeve 11, through which the shaft 3 extends. -The spindle 10 has a conical upper end, and pivotally supported upon said end is a cap or shell 14, having a conical bearing near its up- .per end for the end of the spindle 10. The face-plate or record-support 16 is provided cap or shell 14.. A screw 13 extends through the sleeve 17, through the cap or shell 1'45, and into a recess 12, formed near the end of the spindle 10. The function of the screw 13 is to permit the ready removal of the recordsupport, together with the miter-gear 9 and the means for holding the record in place on said support or face-plate. Depending from the under face of the record-support 16 are a number of tubes or bearings 17, there being three such hearings or tubes shown; but any suitable number may be used. Mounted to slide loosely in these hearings or tubes are The shaft 3 is provided with a longiwith a hollow sleeve 17 which fits over the tions 26 of the slot 27 in said the headed pins 18, the heads 19 projecting above the face-plate or record-support and the opposite or lower ends of said pins each having a reduced neck 20 and a flange or stop 21. A three-armed spring 22, having a central aperture 23 and arms provided with end slots 24, rests upon the top of the miter-gear 9 and is held in position by the sleeve 17, resting on top of said spring. This spring serves to hold the heads of the pins 18 down when the record-disk has been placed in position over said heads, with the enlarged porrecord passing over said heads and permitting the record to be turned until the heads 19 occupy a posi tion over the smaller portions of said slots, and thus holding said record firmly against the'support or face-plate 16. One of the arms of the spring 22 is provided with a hook or projection 24 This projection permits the spring to be placed in position without bending the spring. The outer rim of the record 25 is preferably provided with a metallic binding 29 to give sufficient stability to said record. The metal binding 29 may overlap the periphery on both sides of the disk and may be secured in place bya pin 30 at a point where the disk 25 is cut away, as at 31, in order that the record will not be enlarged at this point, or solder may be used in place of the pin 30.

The record-disk may be flexible or resilient, as is described in the patent referred to herein, or may be made practically rigid, and in either case will operate sufficiently well with the mechanism about to be described. A

by its roller 32 isjournaled upon an arm 33, pivoted to a bracket 34, rising from an arm 35, projecting outward from the sleeve 11. The arm 33 has a depending point 36 and a set-screw 37 hearing against the point 36 to regulate the weight to be exerted by the roller 32 upon the top of the record'disk 19. A vertical extension 38 serves as a stop to limit the throw of the roller 32 as it is swung upon its pivot 39 when changing a record upon the instrument. It will be understood that the roller 32 weight upon the top outer edge of the record-disk holds the opposite portion of the disk against the stylus 40 Whether the disk is resilient or practically rigid. As a modification of this construction a roller 41, Fig. 8, may be located immediately under the stylus for throwing the disk upward to hold the record in contact with said stylus. The roller 41 is journaled upon a pin 42, extendingfr'om an arm 43, pivoted at 44. A threaded extension 45 is provided with a weighted nut 46, which may be adjusted in and out upon the screw 45 to give more or less tension or stress to the roller 41 as may be required in the production of different classes of records. Extending downward from the sleeve 11 is a finger 47, the lower end of which, 48, extends through a slot in the table 1 and through an adjustable plate 49, Fig. 3, said plate 49 having a slot 50, which coincides with the slot in the table 1 and is adjnstablelaterally by set-screws 51, which extend through slots 52 in said plate. By means of this adjustment the finger 47 may be accurately adjusted to hold the record-disk in the desired horizontal relation to the stylus. A button or knob 53 serves to shift the record by hand when desired.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the motor comprises a train of gearing and a governor similar to those shown in my patent hereinbefore referred to, with such differences as will now be described. The governor-shaft a is provided with a milled or knurled wheel I), and the wheel 0 is provided with a leather rim or tire d. The wheel (9, running on the leather tire, is practically noiseless. This is a matter of great importance in an instrument of this character, as the least noise in the operation of the machine is transmitted with increased amplitude through the sound-box. The start and stop lever e is of the usual construction; but the brake-arm f is curved at its lower portion, as shown in Fig. 9, and the end of said arm is provided with a leather friction-shoe g, designed to bear upon the brake-disk h with more or less force, depending upon the position of the brakearm f. The brake-disk is secured to the governorshaft a, and the opposite end of said shaft is journaled in a slot 1' in the motor-frame. When the brake-shoe g is forced hard against the disk h, the milled wheel I) is forced equally hard against the leather tire 0?, thus effectually stopping the motor.

The operation of the machine is as follows: When the motor 2 has been started and the feed-nut 8 is thrown in contact with the feedscrew 5, said feed-screw is gradually moved to the left in Fig. 1, carrying with it the mitergears 6 and 9, the arm 35, the roller 32, and the record-disk 19, the sound-box 54 remaining in a stationary position and the stylus 40 being held in contact with the record-disk 19 by means of the roller 32 or the roller 41.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim is- 1. In a sound producing and reproducing instrument, a record in combination with a gravity-roller mounted to engage said record at or near its periphery, holding said record in contact with a stylus.

2. In a sound-reproducing instrument, a record-disk, means for revolving it and feeding it laterally in contact with a stylus, in combination with a gravity-roller bearing upon said disk at or near its periphery, and meansfor adjusting the pressure of said roller.

3. In a talkingwmachine a record provided with a series of slots in combination with a series of yielding pins projecting through the slots to hold the disk in operative position.

4. In a sound-producing instrument, a record-disk mounted upon a central support, a feed-screw shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft and carrying a depending finger sliding in a slotted plate movable for adjusting thefinger laterally to hold the record in a horizontal position, substantially as described.

5. In a sound-reproducing instrument, a central pin, a shell into which the pin projects, a face-plate having a tubular portion surrounding the shell, a series of headed pins passing through the face-plate, and a spring connected to the pins for depressing them, substantially as described.

6. In asound-producinginstrument, aroller mounted upon an arm pivoted under the record and engaging the record near its periphery, said roller being pivoted to an arm having a threaded extension and a weighted nut for adjusting the pressure of the roller against the disk, substantially as described.

7. In a sound producing and reproducing In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK MYERS.

Witnesses: GUY E. PADGETT, GEO. W. PoE. 

